While traveling to and arriving in a country, there is always a concern of having your belongings or data being stolen. Though I cannot guarantee it will not happen to you, there are things you can do to minimize being targeted and if it does happen, minimize the impact.
The areas I cover below are:
- Research and prepare before your leave
- How to be careful while travelling
- What to do with your money
- How to secure your luggage and valuables
- What to do with your documents – tickets, passport, and wallet
Preparation before you leave
- Research common travel scams – you should plan on pick-pocketers being active in most Western European countries. Do they work in teams?
- Stay informed about current events and travel advisories – Is there political tension? Are tourists or foreigners being targeted? You will want to know the environment you are traveling to.
- Purchase travel insurance – I personally have only purchased travel insurance a couple of times. I normally book hotels, cars, etc. that have an option to cancel within a couple days of arriving, so the benefit of Travel Insurance is minimal. You need to do what you are comfortable in doing.
While Traveling
Using the information you learned prior to your trip, make sure to be aware of your surroundings and where you are going.
- Are you noticing someone watching you? Make sure to secure your luggage and purses so someone cannot simply snatch it and run away with it.
- Stay and travel in safe areas. In the evening, walk in well lit, well-traveled areas. For example, when I was traveling in Israel, I avoided any areas near Gaza or the West Bank due to potential conflict.
You do not want to stand out and be flashing money nor expensive jewelry around. Keep important documents safe by either keeping them well hidden and/or secure in a safe or your luggage.
Make an effort to stay in touch with friends and family back home. Prioir to setting out on one of my trips, I email my itinerary to my family and friends – flights (if applicable), lodging, and how to reach me. While I am traveling, I send out an update every 3-4 days. If for some reason I will be out of reach (on a dive boat in the middle of no-where), I will let them know how long it will be before I will be in touch again. Always make sure multiple people know where you are in the event something happens.
Money
When I travel, I always carry extra cash in case my wallet, ID, whatever is stolen. This money is purely as a reserve, it is kept well-hidden or buried, and if it is not used, then it goes back into the bank when I return home. The challenge is where to store the extra cash so I do not look like a “free” ATM? Here are a few things I do:
- First, I split the cash between Mike and I. That way if one of us loses our cash, the other person still has half of what we brought with us.
- For the cash I have, I spread it out into a couple of locations.
- I take half of it and bury it at the bottom of my purse. A thief is going to have to dig to find it
- The other half I put at the bottom of a velcro’d section in the back of my backpack. It is not a place I access and nothing else will go in there. It would require someone stealing my backpack before the person will find it there
- For the cash Mike has, he does the following:
- He has the same backpack so he will take half and put it in the same backpack section.
- For the other half, he does not have a purse like I do. Instead, he puts the money in a couple of ziplocks and then puts them UNDER the inserts in his shoes. He has done this multiple times, and we have not had any issues.
Luggage and Valuables
Now matter where or how you are traveling, you will want to make sure your luggage is secure, your jewelry is minimized, and your electronic information is not compromised.
- Luggage (suitcase or backpack) – ensure there is a way to lock your zippers closed. When traveling, you will want to lock and secure it to prevent someone from going through your belongings. I carry a security cable to secure my luggage to a post, train seat, etc. That way someone cannot just walk by and grab my luggage and run off.
I did not like the rope/paracord that was tied to my zipper pulls. It did not feel secure enough, so I added cable pulls to my backpack. They are long enough that I can lock all of my zippers together and then secure with my security cable and lock.
- Jewelry – as much as I love to wear jewelry at home, my rule of thumb when traveling is to bring only what I would be willing to lose. That way if someone steals it, I have not suddenly lost a family heirloom. I bring a couple sets of jewelry so I have a little variation. The jewelry I travel with is not flashy because I do not want to attract unnecessary attention. Even my travel wedding ring is a simple band that I bought off of Amazon.
- USB Data Blocker – this is important when you plug your USB-A cable into a USB port at an airport, cafe, or hotel to charge one of your devices. Without the USB Data Blocker, it is possible for someone to access your device via the USB port you just connected to. I have this with me at all times so I do not need to worry about someone stealing my data or identity.
Documents
Since you will be carrying everything with you when you are traveling, it is hard to find a secure place to store copies of important documents without the risk of losing everything if someone steals your luggage and/or purse.
- Documentation – Passports, driver’s license, credit cards, medical coverage, trip insurance, tickets, etc. I use Tresorit.com to store electronic copies of all of my important documentation. Their servers are located in Switzerland and provide encrypted cloud storage.
- Wallet – before you leave your house and head out on your trip, remove EVERYTHING out of your wallet and only bring what you absolutely need. I normally travel with proof of medical insurance, my ID, my ATM card, and a single credit card. Everything else stays home. Depending on how I am traveling, I store my wallet in a couple of places.
When traveling out and about (and no secure safe is available), I store my wallet at the bottom of my Travelon Purse. It has a secure zipper clasp and an anti-slash strap and sides.
If I might sleep while traveling – plane, train – I keep my wallet on me. My pants have a zippered side pocket I move my wallet to before I situate myself for a nap.
- Passport – Depending on how I am traveling, I store my passport in a few places.
When traveling out and about (and no secure safe is available), I store my passport at the bottom of my Travelon Purse. It has a secure zipper clasp and an anti-slash strap and sides
If I might sleep while traveling, I keep my passport on me. My Jacket has a zippered pocket for my passport and I add an additional layer with my windbreaker, for extra protection
Go out and travel safely
When traveling either domestic or international, you need to be aware of your surroundings and ensure your items and clothing are safe. The tips and tricks mentioned above will reduce the risk of something being stolen (sadly, it will not eliminate it) and minimize the impact if it does occur.
One final note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my website! – Lori